US broadband net continues growth

Most Americans are choosing cable connections

More US homes and businesses are switching on to high-speed net access that ever before.

In the first six months of 2003, broadband connections via cable and phone lines, leapt 18% to 23.6m, said the Federal Communications Commission.

Overall, there has been a 45% growth in US broadband connections, but unlike the UK, many more get it through cable access than phone lines.

The US has about 170 million net users in total, say official figures.

Preferred lines

There has been tough competition in the US between cable and telecoms industries, with prices being slashed to attract more customers.

But cable companies have been winning the price war, with 13.7 million households and businesses choosing broadband access that way, compared to 7.7 million DSL (Digital Subscriber Line).

The majority of US high-speed net users enjoy speeds of more than 200Kbps, compared to an average of 512Kbps in the UK.

In the UK, the majority of broadband users get it through ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). About 80% of the country are able to get broadband this way if they want it, but much of that coverage is concentrated in urban areas.

Oftel, soon to be taken over by the new industry regulatory body Ofcom, estimates about 45% of the UK has access to broadband through cable modems.

Recent figures by industry analysts Point Topic suggest more than 30% of the world access the net over broadband, by cable and DSL.